An acquaintance of mine brings some Viagra from Cambodia for sale on the international market. Yesterday he and another guy was stopped in a police checkpoint close to the border with around 300 pills. They were arrested and brought to jail. The police want 100,000 THB for the bail.

Any hints about what kind of sentence the might face? Or any tips of what they should do.

Pay up. They're in big trouble. The pharma companies are pushing the authorities here to clamp down on this. These guys have no way of knowing the safety or otherwise of these drugs - they could be in for a lengthy stay at in the monkey house.

Could not agree more. Scapegoats are required for this little caper. Tell you pals to pay and leave, before they fill that unenviable role.

That's hardly the same scenario as having 4 or 8 Kamagra tablets that you're taking home (8 km) after buying them at your local, Thai pharmacist.

Pay up, otherwise they'll face a stiff sentance doing hard time.

Pay up, otherwise they'll face a stiff sentance doing hard time.

any kind of drugs coming into thailand need a clearance document did'nt they know

Pay up, otherwise they'll face a stiff sentance doing hard time.

not such a stiff sentance if they are fake ones though

Who needs viagra ?

Sounds like a stick-up to me.

Pay up, otherwise they'll face a stiff sentance doing hard time.

The more I think of it, the more I fear for these guys. What freaking idiots. Think of the rap sheet . . . importing drugs without a licence, smuggling counterfeit drugs, aiming to deal in fake pharmaceuticals etc etc etc. . and that's even without starting to think of the visa issues (I doubt they have a work permit to be a pharmacist).

Pay the fine and get the hel_l outa here.

Jeez, 75 packs of pills. What sort of profit would they make? 100 baht a packet? 150? What a couple of complete morons.

This isn't rocket science. The police aren't going to offer your friends a financial alternative that's worse than the punishment they face. How would the police make any money otherwise? Pay them off - unless it's a matter of principal to your friends, of course.

The more I think of it, the more I fear for these guys. What freaking idiots. Think of the rap sheet . . . importing drugs without a licence, smuggling counterfeit drugs, aiming to deal in fake pharmaceuticals etc etc etc. . and that's even without starting to think of the visa issues (I doubt they have a work permit to be a pharmacist).

Pay the fine and get the hel_l outa here.

Jeez, 75 packs of pills. What sort of profit would they make? 100 baht a packet? 150? What a couple of complete morons.

Its one guy that does this. He brings the pills out of Thailand for sale. The profit is very good! Its a huge market for these pills everywhere. The other guy just came along for the trip. Poor guy, innocent and in jail.

Remember, the OP said the BiB wanted 100,000 baht for bail.

Unless they plan on trying to flee the country once they get out of jail, they will still face a court trial and possibly a (larger) fine and/or prison time.

While it's not really good news, the fact that this isn't a Class 1 drug would likely result in a lessor sentence than if they'd been caught with something else.

As for tips on what to do, I suggest pay the bail and get a good lawyer. Anything else suggested on here, unless it comes from a legal professional familiar with the Thai legal system, should be taken with a grain of salt.

Interesting point. This guy is effectively smuggling illegal drugs. Luckily for him, they may not yet be on the government's list of narcotics but he is buying them, smuggling them with an aid to private gain, and there is absolutely no guarantee they couldnt cause irreperable damage or even death because they are not regulated.

As i said before, pay up quickly.

They are ok!

They had to pay bail 60,000 THB. The police took them to the bank to sort it out. Then they have to go back for court in a couple of weeks.

The police treated them both nice. They had to spend one night in jail though, which appearantly was a bit scary.

The sentence is gonna be a fine like 5,000 THB each, and they will get the bail money back.

In other news, there's a lot of horny policemen on the streets tonite.....

i cant see them giving the bail money back,but then again....TIT

As a general rule (and I most certanily don't condone criminal activity)... let's just call it advice for 'entrepreneurial morons' like those mentioned in this thread: you need to get any "payments" taken care of waaaaaay before you get to the station, much less INTO the court system. All you're doing is increasing the number of folks you have to pay off the longer you wait.

That's hardly the same scenario as having 4 or 8 Kamagra tablets that you're taking home (8 km) after buying them at your local, Thai pharmacist.

You shouldn't be taking that many in one day.

Before anybody decides to something so stupid they should check out this cheap place to stay

accomadation

Edited June 25, 200719 yr by colino

There was some idiot at Bangkok airport boasting on his mobile about how much dosh he was going to make taking a suitcase full of Vitamin V back to Blighty... went as far to say that if he was stopped in the UK he would consider the fine as a form of tax.

Last time round, at the bus terminal in Heathrow, another likely lad was almost leaping out of his clothes because they had not yet put his suitcase in the bus and later complained on his mobile that his mates refused to give him a lift home.

A couple of weeks in LOS seems to lead to a massive dislocation from reality!

Once youtube is back up in Thailand, search for the story by the BBC about the Bangkok Hilton. Those two words will suffice to find you the 6-part story. Very interesting stories and a good reason why your friends should pay up.

I don't think the cops are being to hard on them, but I would imagine the fellas went limb when they got nicked. A stiff sentence and them toss them out of the country.

They knowingly commited a crime to enrich themselfs.

Howdy,

This was an interesting Read.

"Before anybody decides to something so stupid they should check out this cheap place to stay

accomadation"

Thanks

Chung *j*

Edited June 25, 200719 yr by Chung noi

From the Drugs Act B.E. 2510 (1967):

Section 12. No person shall produce or sell a modern drug, or import or order a modern drug into the Kingdom, unless he has obtained a licence from the licensing authority.

...

Section 101. Any person who violates Section 12 shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years and to a fine not exceeding ten thousand Baht.

--

Maestro

What a cock up !!!

And further evidence - if it was ever needed - of the utter garbage of western society that washes up on these shores. You can just see it, can't you? Some hopeless fathead with a waist measurement larger than his IQ, with hairy shoulders protruding from his unwashed vest, and yet - in spite of all that - with an innate and massive self-confidence brought about by the fact that he's white in a brown country.

And now, he will be crapping himself inwardly but externally keeping up the bravado cos he's a white man, innit?

And further evidence - if it was ever needed - of the utter garbage of western society that washes up on these shores. You can just see it, can't you? Some hopeless fathead with a waist measurement larger than his IQ, with hairy shoulders protruding from his unwashed vest, and yet - in spite of all that - with an innate and massive self-confidence brought about by the fact that he's white in a brown country.

And now, he will be crapping himself inwardly but externally keeping up the bravado cos he's a white man, innit?

Quoted to prevent editing by Bendix when he sobers up.

It's 9.15 in the morning here in Bkk. Why would i want to edit it? It's social commentary . . . .